Breech-loading small-arm.



L. B. TAYLOR & F. HUGHES.

BREECH LOADING SMALL ARM.

APPLiCATlON FILED APR.24, 1914.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORA-PH CDUWASHINUTON, n. c.

L. B. TAYLOR & F. HUGHES.

BREECH LOADING SMALL ARM.

APPLICATON FILED APR.24, 1914.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

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L. B. TAYLOR & F. HUGHES.

BREECH LOADING SMALL ARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1914.

1,154,458. PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

LESLIE B. TAYLOR AND FREDERICK HUGHES, 0F BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND; SAID HUGHES ASSIGNOR TO SAID TAYLOR.

BREEGH-LOADING SMALL-ARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LESLIE BOWN TAY- Lon and FREDERICK HUGHES, subjects of the King of Great Britaim aiid respectively residing at Grange Road, Bournbrook, Birmingham, England, and No. 136 Raddlebarn Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham aforesaid, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech -Loading Small- Arms, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in breech loading small arms, the said improvements having for their objects to facilitate the examination of the lock mechanism and cleaning, repair, removal and replacement of the same when thought necessary or desirable.

According to our invention, we hinge the side plates to the body of the gun, the said side plates fitting accurately when closed, the openings in the opposite sides of the body. The said plates, may be hinged at their front or rear ends, or they may be divided, the rear and wider part, being hinged to the front or narrower part which may have a dovetail sliding engagement in grooves in the front part of the opening, so as to be readily removable, or it may be otherwise fixed in position. Or the side plates may be hinged at one of their longer edges. The hinge joint may be formed in various wa s, and, if desired, the construction may be such as will permit the ready detachment and removal of the hinged side plate when open without knocking out or otherwise removing the hinge pin. The fastening enniloyed for the opening end or edge of the side plate is preferably one that can be released without the use of a tool.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in side elevation a portion of a breech loading small arm provided with the improvements constituting our invention. F ig. 2 represents partly in plan and partly in section the body of thegun Without the barrels, one of the hinged side plates being open and the other being closed. Fig. 3 is an elevation of one of the side plates. Figs. 5 and 5 are fragmental views of the free end of said plate, taken from the inner side thereof and showing the fastening device in inoperative and operative positions, respectively. Fig. 6 is a part-sectional plan view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the portion of the body with which the fastening device engages when in its operative or closed position. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modification. Figs. 9 and 10 are side elevations of the secondary and main plates, respectively, comprising the modification. Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the said plates connected. Fig. 12 is a transverse section on line 12-12, Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a side elevation of a further modification. Fig. 1% is a part-sectional plan view of Fig. 13. F igs. 15 and 16 are side elevations of the modified side plate and its associated bearing plate, taken from the inner side thereof. Fig. 17 is a part-sectional plan view, shoviing the side plate closed. Figs. 18'and 19 are, respectively, a side elevation and a plan view of a further modified form of side plate.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

7 We will first describe the arrangement represented in Figs. 1 to T. a is the body of the gun having the side plates 7). The side plate I) is hinged to the screw 0 passed through the underside of the body a of the gun. Instead of employing the short plates 6 represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the said plates may have extensions 1) at their front ends, indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, in which case the side plates are hinged at c instead of at c. The hinged side plates 6 may constitute covers for the recesses in the body of the gun in which the lock mechanism is fitted, or the said hinged side plates Z) may constitute lock carrying plates, as shown in Figs. 18 and 19, in which case, on opening the said hinged side plates, the lock mechanism will be brought out of the recesses and will be very accessible for cleaning or repair. e wish it to be understood that in some cases, for example in the application of our invention to single barrel guns, a-hinged sideplate bon one side only of the body of the gun is provided. We preferably employ fastenings for the hinged side plates of a kind which can be readily operated without the use of a tool, but we wish it to be understood that we are aware that such fastenings are used in connection with the hinged cover plates described, represented and claimed in the specification of Letters Patent No. 985076 dated 21st February 1911 in Fig. 16.

is partially located for fastening and unfas tening the hinged plate by the turn button 6,

the latter being formed integral with the pin or pivot c on which the catchd is fixed.

VVhen the catch is in its fastening position, (seen in theupper part of Fig. 2 and in Figs. 5 and 6),"the'projecting end of the catch en ages behind the plate f on the body of the gun, (see Fig. 7). When unfastening the hinged side plate 6, the motion of the catch (Z of which is limited by the pin 19 on the inner side of the plate Z), the beveled edge (Z of the catch (Z is brought against the beveled end of faceof the pin 9 in the recess in the body, (see Figs; 2 and 7), and the further turning motion of the said catch cl results in the forcing partially open or starting of the hinged side plate b. 611 the closing of the side plate, the beveled edge of the catch comes against the inclined end or face of the pin 9 on the body, andefiects automatically the partial turning motion of the catch into the fastening position.

Instead of hinging the side plate directly to the body a, it may be hinged to a secondary plate h having a dovetail sliding connection with the body a, as is represented in elevation in Fig. 8. V

By the construction and arrangement of the parts last described, the hinged side plate 5 can be readily detached if desired. Instead of hinging the side plates at or near their front ends, they may be hinged at their rear ends as is represented inFigs. 13 and 14. r i

The hinged end of the plate Z) may carry a lug provided with pivots, as is represented in Fig. 15. In this case the pivots of the lug engage with. half knuckles k in the small bearing or joint'plate h shown separately The pivots carried by the lug on the plate 6, (Fig. 15), are kept in place I in the halfknuckles i, (see Fig. 17.)

The fastening for the hinged side plate may consist of a hinged catch'lc, (see Figs. 13 and 14), which, when in the normal position, represented in Fig. 13 and in the lower part of Fig. 14, prevents the accidental opening of the side plate, but which, when pulled outward against the action of a spring Z into the position represented in the upper half of Fig. 14, permits the side plate to be readily opened.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for Although we prefer to hinge the side plate or plates at one of their ends, We wish it to be understood that they may be hinged at one'of their'longitudinal edges, preferably the bottom edge, and although We have represented our improvements only in connection with breech loading small arms of the kind known as drop down guns, we wish it to be understood that they may be applied to other small arms, such as magazine small arms of the receiver type, of which the Marlin and VVinche'ster are examples.

e clainiz- 1 Abreech-loading small arm having a plate movable into position to close the recess in its side for the lock mechanism, a slidably-m'ounted secondary plate to which the first-named plate is hinged, and means for holding the said first-named plate in such )osition.

dove-tailed groove formed in the side of its body adjacent the recess for the lock mechanism, a plate movable into position to'close said recess, a secondary plate to which the first-named plate is hinged slidably fitted in saidgroove, andmeans for holding the said first-named plate in such position.

3. A breech-loading small arm having a plate hinged to the side of its body for movement into position to. closethe recess for the lock mechanism, a turn button having its stem rotatably mounted in one end of the plate and provided upon its inner end with a catch, one edge of which is beveled, a plate with which the first-named plate coacts to hold the latter in such position, and a beveled projection arranged in said recess for engagement with the beveled edge .of said five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

l1 breech-loading small arm having a 

